1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to techniques for obtaining a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object, such as a dental item.
2. Background of the Related Art
Photogrammetry is a remote sensing technique in which geometric properties about an object are determined from photographic images. In a typical application, two or more photographs or images of the object are taken from different positions. By matching features between the two images, it is then possible to determine very accurately the 3D coordinates for each matched feature.
Although photogrammetry is a well-developed art, the matching of pixels can be very difficult when dealing with a surface area of the object that has few features. Moreover, the pixel matching algorithms are computationally expensive. As a consequence photogrammetry has not been adapted for dental imaging applications.